A propos

This Classic 35′ Bermudan Sloop was designed by Jack Laurent Giles and built by JJ Bickford Ltd of Topsham, Devon in 1956. Renowned for her sea-kindliness, balance and ease of handling, she appears to be largely unmodified from her original design apart from the addition of an inner forestay and the all-important wind vane for long-distance passages. Designed and built for the director of Seagull outboard engines, her original build was to a very high standard using the best available materials. From her conception, the plan was to build a safe and comfortable offshore cruising boat that could be easily handled. Over the years she has proven herself to be a both safe and capable cruiser with her current owner having covered several thousand miles of cruising around the world.   The boat's standing rigging was replaced in 2016 and the boat has a detailed diary kept of all the maintenance work and upgrades undertaken since 2006.  The owner informs us that she was built to the highest standards using the finest materials and built to stand the riggers of time and the sea, using only the finest teak and old English oak. In fact, amongst the boat paperwork is a copy of the original write-up of this exact boat, written in Yachting World from October 1957 also describing the attention to detail used in her construction. After purchasing the boat in 2014, the current owner has taken part in various classic regattas and sailed her across the Atlantic, around the Caribbean and back to the UK via Bermuda and the Azores. Subsequently, he then cruised north to Scotland, the Faroe Islands and the east coast of Iceland. Some severe weather conditions were encountered during these voyages but the boat was reported to have performed impeccably for the whole time taking the storms in her stride and looking after the skipper and crew. In September 2022 the installation and commissioning of a lightly used Yanmar 39hp diesel was installed. These engines are renowned for their reliability and performance and this engine has only around 600 hours of runtime since it was professionally installed. Whilst the boat is listed for sale, the boat continues to be undergoing continuous maintenance and upgrade programmes whilst she is out of the water. The original specification and full set of construction drawings are available concerning her provenance. If you are in the market for a real slice of history, then this "little ship" with classic lines impeccable sea-keeping abilities and having been designed by a legend in the industry is one to add to the top of your list... Please note, that this boat is under constant maintenance and upgrades and some of the pictures may show the boat in various stages of imporovement. Please don't hesitate to contact me for an early viewing of this classic historic beauty. These boat details are subject to contract. Note: Offers on the asking price may be considered. Register with Boatshed to see 115 extra photos of this Laurent Giles 35 Classic Custom Built . This Laurent Giles 35 Classic Custom Built has been personally photographed and viewed by Jason Currie-Smith of Boatshed Torbay.